Hans Vanaken: "Above all, we should be proud"
Captain Hans Vanaken was one of the standouts at Blauw-Zwart. After the match, one feeling prevailed above all: pride. "We may be disappointed with the way the match went, but we should just be proud of our play against this Barcelona."
In his 100th European match, Vanaken knew he would not have much ball possession. "I obviously like to have the ball more in a match. Barcelona just chooses to have possession of the ball. So we mainly had to chase the ball and come out when we had it. We also did that very well."
Vanaken spoke highly of Bridge's counterattacks. "With a weapon like Forbs, who did a perfect job today, we got a lot of opportunities. Tzolis and Tresoldi also performed their duties excellently. We really needed that against Barcelona."
Vanaken was also shown the footage of Vermant's disallowed goal. "I immediately thought it was foul. The ref didn't whistle, and then of course you hope it might be something too light to whistle. In the end, it did seem like the right decision."
About the visit of Barcelona and Yamal, Vanaken was short and sweet: "It's unique to witness something like that live. Those actions, that overview... There are not many walking around in the world like Yamal."
Nicky Hayen: "Plan pretty much perfectly executed"
"I'm very proud of the players. They executed the plan as good as perfect: kept the lines short, double coverage on the flanks, Tzolis and Forbs worked really hard to catch those Barça flanks, and we used the spaces very well. The only blemish on this game is that early goal against after the 1-0. That was one moment of inattention. Moreover, it is a pity that that 4-3 was disallowed. I saw the footage and for me it was very questionable."
The Bruges coach sprinkled praise for some of the players. "Everyone was able to see how good Lamine Yamal is, but Joaquin Seys did very well. You know you have to be top for a whole match, and I think Joa defended extremely well. Forbs was also impressive: he is someone with a lot of speed, depth and strong individual action. He showed his qualities again today."
Hayen also emphasized the great atmosphere that was in the stadium. "You knew for a match like that you had to throw that extra spark in, and it worked right away. We got out to an early lead, which made the crowd feel that something was possible and propelled us forward throughout the match. This is yet another historic match in Club Brugge's history."
Next Sunday, with the move to Anderlecht, another fine affair awaits. "If you can do this against Barcelona, you hope and expect to show the same against Anderlecht. When you play against Bayern and Barcelona, you see the absolute class of those teams. That should motivate the players to work hard every game and every training session to get one step closer to that level each time."
Joaquin Seys: "This was the perfect learning experience"
Joaquin Seys experienced a boyhood dream by playing against a world team like Barcelona. "That's why you become a soccer player, and that's what you come to the stadium for. This was a unique experience."
The confrontation with world champion Yamal also came up for discussion. Seys was able to hold off the striker several times and played a strong match. "I'm not 100 percent satisfied with my match, but I certainly didn't do badly," he said.
Giving himself a score the young left back did not, nor did he dream of one day playing at Barcelona. "For now I'm especially happy with the result we got today. For me personally, this is a perfect learning experience. I continue to work every day to get better."
Aleksandar Stanković: "What an atmosphere."
"Why Vermant's goal was disallowed, I actually don't know," Stanković told a few minutes after the whistle blew. "In the end, the VAR called the referee to the side and disallowed the goal. That's all I know at this point.
Had that goal counted, it still would have become 4-3. But I am happy with the 3-3 result. We continued to believe until the end, and as a team we have put the big Barcelona to the test - that is no mean feat.
That also promises for the upcoming matches in the Champions League. Today Carlos Forbs was really top, with two goals and an assist. But you can't forget the performance of the rest of the team either, I think.
And here I really want to thank our supporters: what an atmosphere! It was as if there were twelve of us on the pitch - formidable it was."
Nordin Jackers: "We are certainly not disappointed with this draw"
"I also have no idea why Vermant's goal at the end of the match was still disallowed," said Nordin Jackers. "I should still watch the footage, then I'll know.
I think I played a pretty good game. I do get three in, and especially their third goal (Tzolis' owngoal, nvdr) is very sour - especially since we were leading 3-2 at the time. Still, we can be satisfied with 3-3 against the great Barcelona.
A victory was certainly possible, but the way we ended up with a draw is not at all disappointing - on the contrary. After the match, I congratulated our Joaquin Seys on his match against Lamine Yamal. He played a really strong match, and that will certainly give him courage for the coming duels. You can see that he is gradually growing towards his top form.
Now we can enjoy this strong European performance, but everyone knows that next Sunday we have another important game at Anderlecht. So soon full focus again on that move."
Brandon Mechele: "We are happy with that one point"
"Yes, Carlos Forbs was very important for us tonight," were Brandon Mechele's first words. "Two goals, an assist and possibly caused another penalty - that can count, lol. You know with his speed he can create a lot of danger in the back of the defense, and Barcelona experienced that tonight.
For me, it was the first time I got to play against Barcelona. We have already played against many big teams, and it is always nice to compete with the best. There were maybe three points in it, but we have to be happy with that one point.
This top affair was obviously important, but we know that next Sunday we have to go to Anderlecht, and of course that is also an important game. We have to make sure we finish this period in the league well, because since the last international break we have been in a good flow. We haven't lost the last duels in Brussels, so we can go down to Anderlecht with confidence."